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5 from 2 votes

Chocolate Wacky Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting

This delicious Chocolate Wacky Cake recipe was a popular dessert during the depression because it doesn’t have any eggs, butter, or milk in it.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
COOLING TIME1 hour
Total Time1 hour 50 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cake, chocolate, peanut butter
Servings: 9 people
Calories: 599kcal
Cost: $3.96

Equipment

  • 8x8-inch square pan
  • measuring cups
  • Measuring spoons
  • whisk
  • wire rack
  • Medium bowl
  • handheld mixer

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE:

  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 5 Tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 cup water

FOR THE PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING:

  • ½ cup butter or vegetable shortening at room temperature
  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter at room temperature
  • 3 tablespoons warm water or milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract optional
  • 2 cups powdered sugar sifted
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

MAKE THE CAKE:

  • Move oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Add flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt to a greased 8-inch square baking pan. Whisk until combined.
  • Make 3 depressions (or holes) in the dry ingredients – two small and one large. Pour the vinegar in one small depression, vanilla in the other small depression, and the vegetable oil in the third larger depression. Pour the water over the pan. Use a wooden spoon to mix until smooth. Make sure you get into the corners of the pan because there tends to be a build-up of dry ingredients there.
  • Bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool the cake completely on a wite rack.

MAKE PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING:

  • Place vegetable shortening and peanut butter in a medium to large size bowl and beat using an electric mixer until smooth and creamy.
  • Add two cups of powdered sugar and beat until well blended and it begins to thicken.
  • Add the vanilla and 1 tablespoon of water at a time (3 tablespoons total) – mix for approximately 3 minutes, or until it’s lighter in color, fluffy and spreadable. If the frosting is too thick, add a little more water and beat.

FINISH CAKE:

  • Spread frosting over the cake. Slice and serve!

Notes

  • If you have butter, we suggest using butter in the frosting instead of the vegetable shortening. We just think it tastes better. 
  • The amount of frosting in this recipe makes a nice thick layer. If you'd rather less frosting (and fewer calories), then simply cut the frosting recipe in half. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 599kcal | Carbohydrates: 72g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Sodium: 386mg | Potassium: 245mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 51g | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 2mg